Archaeologists investigating a 2.5-kilogram hoard of sword blades, scabbards and knives found by a metal detectorist in January 2013 say the plough-disturbed artefacts could have been delivered to Wales by sea from southern England or northern France.

Two blade fragments, a scabbard fitting, a multi-edged knife and six copper ingot fragments were discovered by Adrian Young a few metres apart from each other in the corner of a field in Marloes and St Brides .

The Coroner for Pembrokeshire has now officially declared the hoard treasure, with archaeologists at National Museum Wales dating it to between 2,800 and 3,000 years ago.

“The combination of objects found in this hoard hints at the long-distance sea travel of finished objects during the Late Bronze Age, from southern England and northern France to west Wales,” says Adam Gwilt, the Principal Curator for Prehistory at National Museum Wales.

“The swords, scabbard and knife are exotic types, not typical for the region.

“We can now see that copper ingot fragments are common components within hoards from Pembrokeshire, similar to a pattern also seen in Cornwall.”

An as-yet-undecided public museum collection will acquire the hoard once it has been independently valued.

Has a man with a metal detector really stumbled upon the legendary Norse treasure worth more than £800,000? Experts believe long-lost trove of gold and silver may be the real deal

A metal detector-wielding amateur archaeologist may have discovered the legendary hoard that inspired one of Richard Wagner’s most epic works of opera.

The trove unearthed in Rhineland Palatinate, western Germany, includes silver bowls, brooches, other jewellery from ceremonial robes and small statues that adorned a grand chair, said experts.

Amid speculation that it may be the legendary Nibelung hoard, they have valued the haul of gold and silver, which dates back to Roman times, at nearly £826,000.

‘In terms of timing and geography, the find fits in with the epoch of the Nibelung legend,’ Axel von Berg, the state’s chief archaeologist was quoted by German media as saying.

‘But we cannot say whether it actually belongs to the Nibelung treasure,’ he said, adding that whoever owned it had ‘lived well’ and could have been a prince.

The haul, which was found near Ruelzheim in the southern part of the state, is now at the state cultural department in Mainz, but officials suspect they may not have all of it.

Prosecutors have begun an inquiry into the man who found the treasure because they suspect he may have sold some of it, possibly to a buyer abroad, the department said.

‘The spot where the find was made was completely destroyed by the improper course of action,’ it said in a statement.

Whether the treasure is the famous ‘Rhinegold’ or not, it seems to have been buried in haste by its owner or by robbers in around 406-407 AD, when the Roman Empire was crumbling in the area along the Rhine, Mr von Berg said.

The Nibelung hoard features in Wagner’s epic opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Of The Nibelung), often referred to as the Ring Cycle, which follows the struggles of heroes, gods and monsters over a magic ring which grants the power to rule the world.

Modelled after ancient Greek dramas, it is a work of extraordinary scale – intended to be performed over four evenings with a total playing time of about 15 hours – that took Wagner 26 years to compose.

The cycle is based on the Germanic legend of Siegfried and the mythology surrounding the royal lineage of the Burgundians who settled in the early 5th century at Worms, one of Germany’s oldest cities.

According to the Nibelung legend, the warrior Hagen killed the dragon-slayer Siegfried and sank his treasure in the Rhine river.

The Rhine has shifted its course many times over the centuries, so the treasure need no longer be under water.

Rhineland Palatinate boasts the most famous stretch of the Rhine, dotted with castles and steeped in legend that has inspired German poets, painters and musicians.

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Canada started phasing out its penny, the nuisance coins that clutter dressers and cost more than their one-cent value to produce.
The Royal Canadian Mint on Monday officially ended its distribution of pennies to financial institutions. Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced last year they were a nuisance and have outlived their purpose.
While people may still use pennies, the government has issued guidelines urging store owners to start rounding prices to the nearest nickel for cash transactions. Electronic purchases will still be billed to the nearest cent.
The government has said the cost of the penny exceeds its monetary value. Production is $11 million a year. The coins, which feature two maple leaves and Queen Elizabeth II in profile, will remain legal tender until they eventually disappeared from circulation.
Opposition New Democrat Member of Parliament Pat Martin gave a poetic goodbye to the penny in Parliament on Monday.
“There’s nothing a penny will buy any more, not a gum ball or small piece of candy,” Martin said. “Note the penny is a nuisance. It costs too much to make. They clutter our change purse and they don’t circulate. They build up in piles in old cookie jars under our beds and in our desk drawers. You can’t give them away. They cost more than what they’re worth. It’s time to put them all out to pasture, put them out to the curb. No, the penny is useless, but there is one thing I’d say, I hope they don’t start treating old MPs this way.”
Google is marking the passing of the penny with a dedicated doodle on its Canadian home page.
The currency museum at Canada’s central bank has already taken steps to preserve the penny’s place in Canadian culture. A mural consisting of nearly 16,000 one-cent pieces has been assembled at the museum to commemorate the coin’s history, said assistant curator Raewyn Passmore.
New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden and others have also dropped the penny.

==============================================================================A hoard of coins minted during Henry VIII’s reign and found by a metal detector enthusiast in a Norfolk field may have been buried to keep it safe during Kett’s Rebellion in 1549.
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The 14 silver groats, found in a field in Wymondham, were pronounced treasure by coroner William Armstrong in Norwich.

Kett’s Rebellion during the reign of King Edward VI started in Wymondham.

The hoard was found in April 2011 by Steven Clarkson and Mark Turner.Peasant protest

Objects which could qualify as treasure must be reported to the coroner under the 1996 Treasure Act .

Dr Adrian Marsden, of the British Museum, said in a report to the coroner it is “quite likely they (the coins) were hidden during the Kett uprising in July and August 1549”.

He said the coins “probably represent a small proportion of the hoard originally concealed”.

A valuation committee will decide on the value and compensation to be paid to the finder and landowner.
The rebellion started in Wymondham after a small group of peasants got together to protest against rich robber barons who had stolen the common land, leaving the peasants to starve.

Led by Robert Kett, the peasants marched 10 miles into Norwich and gathered on Mousehold Heath, attracting the support of the poorer people of Norwich.
Some 15,000 rebels eventually gathered and their battles against government forces on the streets of Norwich led to a national crisis.

They were finally defeated by an army of 13,000 men commanded by the Earl of Warwick.

Hundreds of peasants were killed and 300 were captured and executed in the city. Kett himself was imprisoned and later hanged from the battlements of Norwich Castle.
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